Kobe Bryant Excused from Practice after Armed Robbery Keeps him Inside Home

Calm down, Lakers fans: Kobe Bryant was unharmed during the criminal shenanigans to which the headline refers. KB24 was in the area, however, when a violent robbery took place in Newport Beach, the L.A. suburb where he lives with wife Vanessa and their two girls.

The swanky neighborhood was disturbed on Wednesday morning when five men armed with handguns forced entry into a home near Kobe Bryant’s mansion, physically accosted the residents inside and attempted to rob them. Fortunately for the homeowners, there was someone in the backyard at the time who promptly called 911, and shortly thereafter the police arrived and made three arrests.

That still left two criminals on the run, however, and so police turned to their automated phone system to alert other homes in the neighborhood to the threat. The calls urged residents to stay inside, locking their doors and windows until the danger had passed. Following those instructions like a good citizen, Kobe Bryant was stuck in his mansion while the rest of the Lakers held a shootaround at their practice facility in El Segundo. Naturally, the Lakers issued Kobe an excused absence, and the Black Mamba rejoined the team once the lockdown alert was lifted.[image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/34495711@N06/]